Latest news with #UNaid
Arab News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Sudan's military accepts UN proposal of a weeklong ceasefire in El Fasher for aid distribution
CAIRO: Sudan's military agreed to a proposal from the United Nations for a weeklong ceasefire in El Fasher to facilitate UN aid efforts to the area, the army said Friday. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called Sudanese military leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and asked him for the humanitarian truce in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, to allow aid delivery. Burhan agreed to the proposal and stressed the importance of implementing relevant UN Security Council resolutions, but it's unknown whether the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces would agree and comply with the ceasefire. 'We are making contacts with both sides with that objective, and that was the fundamental reason for that phone contact. We have a dramatic situation in El Fasher,' Guterres told reporters on Friday. No further details were revealed about the specifics of the ceasefire, including when it could go into effect. Sudan plunged into war in April 2023 when simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and the rival RSF escalated into battles in the capital, Khartoum, and spread across the country, killing more than 20,000 people. The war has also driven more than 14 million people from their homes and pushed parts of the country into famine. UNICEF said earlier this year that an estimated 61,800 children have been internally displaced since the war began. Guterres said on Friday that a humanitarian truce is needed for effective aid distribution, and it must be agreed upon several days in advance to prepare for a large-scale delivery in the El Fasher area, which has seen repeated waves of violence recently. El-Fasher, more than 800 kilometers southwest of Khartoum, is under the control of the military. The RSF has been trying to capture El Fasher for a year to solidify its control over the entire Darfur region. The paramilitary's attempts included launching repeated attacks on the city and two major famine-stricken displacement camps on its outskirts.
Asharq Al-Awsat
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Sudan's Military Accepts UN Proposal of a Weeklong Ceasefire in El Fasher for Aid Distribution
Sudan's military agreed to a proposal from the United Nations for a weeklong ceasefire in El Fasher to facilitate UN aid efforts to the area, the army said Friday. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called Sudanese military leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and asked him for the humanitarian truce in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, to allow aid delivery. Burhan agreed to the proposal and stressed the importance of implementing relevant UN Security Council resolutions, but it's unknown whether the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces would agree and comply with the ceasefire. 'We are making contacts with both sides with that objective, and that was the fundamental reason for that phone contact. We have a dramatic situation in El Fasher,' Guterres told reporters on Friday. No further details were revealed about the specifics of the ceasefire, including when it could go into effect. Sudan plunged into war in April 2023 when simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and the rival RSF escalated into battles in the capital, Khartoum, and spread across the country, killing more than 20,000 people. The war has also driven more than 14 million people from their homes and pushed parts of the country into famine. UNICEF said earlier this year that an estimated 61,800 children have been internally displaced since the war began. Guterres said on Friday that a humanitarian truce is needed for effective aid distribution, and it must be agreed upon several days in advance to prepare for a large-scale delivery in the El Fasher area, which has seen repeated waves of violence recently. El Fasher, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) southwest of Khartoum, is under the control of the military. The RSF has been trying to capture El Fasher for a year to solidify its control over the entire Darfur region. The paramilitary's attempts included launching repeated attacks on the city and two major famine-stricken displacement camps on its outskirts.
Reuters
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
UN cuts aid appeal after donors slash budgets
GENEVA, June 16 (Reuters) - The United Nations on Monday slashed its aid appeal to donors by over a third, saying it was now seeking $29 billion to support 114 million people amid what it described as the deepest funding cuts ever. U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher said that the scale of donor retrenchment had been so large that it has been "forced into a triage of human survival." "The math is cruel, and the consequences are heartbreaking. Too many people will not get the support they need, but we will save as many lives as we can," he said. In a statement, the U.N. said its request prioritises, but does not replace, an earlier appeal for over $47 billion launched in December 2024 - before U.S. President Donald Trump announced major cuts to foreign aid that he has himself described as "devastating". Other Western governments, which have previously accounted for the lion's share of humanitarian budgets, are also retrenching as they instead prioritise defence spending. The previous U.N. humanitarian appeal was less than 13% funded nearly halfway through the year, the U.N. said. "All we ask is one percent of what you chose to spend last year on war," said Fletcher. "But this isn't just an appeal for money - it's a call for global responsibility, for human solidarity, for a commitment to end the suffering," he said.
